Do I ship it?

GamesAutomobile SimAutomobile Sim + Economy

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Economy Automobile Sim?

Automobile Sim + Economy

Of 31 developers who shipped an Economy Automobile Sim in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 85 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $12k, ×7.8 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.4k; 1 in 20 cleared $4.8M, ×3249 the market median. Revenue is down 60% on the market; 85 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 7.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 60% on the market, 85 announced, ×4.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Automobile Sim + Economy
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 31
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.3M → $21k → $33k → $31k → $5.7k → $6.6k (still earning) → $12k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Automobile Sim + Economy: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 31
Bottom 30% $2.3k (exactly $2,346)
Median $12k (exactly $11,692)
Top 25% $78k (exactly $78,248)
Top 5% $4.9M (exactly $4,867,377)
Developers, 2 yr 31
Released games 92
Announced 85
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $11.99

momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue down 60% on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Automobile Sim
effort 7 / 10 · low · tyre, suspension and drivetrain simulation
Economy
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Automobile Sim, Economy; 9 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Driving, Immersive Sim, Management
Price point
$11.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, Realistic, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $11.99.

The top 10 games average 73% positive over 17,115 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $2.4k, median $12k, 1 in 4 over $78k, 1 in 20 over $4.8M.

3 in 10 developers made under $2.4k. 7 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 85 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Automobile Sim with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Split ScreenStrong odds25 devs · median $5.5k · 14 announced
  2. + Artificial IntelligenceFair19 devs · median $3.0k · 17 announced
  3. + ZombiesFair10 devs · median $2.1k · 8 announced
  4. + IdlerFair9 devs · median $1.6k · 14 announced
  5. + LogicFair20 devs · median $1.6k · 13 announced
  6. + Multiple EndingsLong shot14 devs · median $1.0k · 12 announced
  7. + Score AttackLong shot38 devs · median $898 · 35 announced
  8. + ArcadeLong shot162 devs · median $774 · 180 announced
  9. + Co-opPoor odds46 devs · median $70k · 60 announced
  10. + Online Co-OpPoor odds40 devs · median $70k · 54 announced
  11. + AutomationPoor odds13 devs · median $35k · 19 announced
  12. + BuildingPoor odds44 devs · median $24k · 89 announced

All 92 pairs on the Automobile Sim page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Euro Truck Simulator 2 older $19.99 756,984 97% 23M $454M (exactly $453,963,305) SCS Software
American Truck Simulator older $19.99 165,692 97% 5.0M $99M (exactly $99,365,492) SCS Software
Farming Simulator 19 older $17.99 64,621 94% 1.9M $35M (exactly $34,875,954) GIANTS Software
Automation - The Car Company Tycoon Game · EA older $29.99 16,815 93% 504k $15M (exactly $15,128,456) Camshaft Software Ltd
Farming Simulator 17 older $14.99 23,063 93% 692k $10M (exactly $10,371,431) GIANTS Software
The Bus $39.99 7,831 73% 235k $9.4M (exactly $9,394,851) TML-Studios
Gold Mining Simulator older $19.99 15,132 72% 454k $9.1M (exactly $9,074,660) Code Horizon
Motorsport Manager older $19.99 11,499 91% 345k $6.9M (exactly $6,895,950) Playsport Games
F1® Manager 2024 older $34.99 5,554 83% 167k $5.8M (exactly $5,830,034) Frontier Developments
Motor Town: Behind The Wheel · EA older $19.99 8,971 93% 269k $5.4M (exactly $5,379,909) P3 Games
Railroads Online $29.99 5,410 75% 162k $4.9M (exactly $4,867,377) Stefan Kelnberger
Docked $29.99 1,210 72% 36k $1.1M (exactly $1,088,637) Saber Interactive
Used Cars Simulator · EA $19.99 1,147 79% 34k $688k (exactly $687,856) DreamWay Games
Subway Builder $39.99 394 59% 12k $473k (exactly $472,682) Colin Miller, EJ Fox, Curran Kelleher,… (Colin Miller, EJ Fox, Curran Kelleher, Nate Maue, Alex Wohlbruck, Piero Maddaleni, Brooks Flannery)
Factory Outlet Simulator $10.99 537 74% 16k $177k (exactly $177,049) PISHO
Heavy Cargo - The Truck Simulator $24.99 222 53% 6.7k $166k (exactly $166,433) tox² interactive GmbH
Driving Life $14.99 174 55% 5.2k $78k (exactly $78,248) Chrysopy Games
Rent A Car Simulator 24 $12.99 154 53% 4.6k $60k (exactly $60,014) 2MEDYA
A-Train 9 V5.0 : Japan Train Simulator Ultimate Edition $39.99 36 77% 1.1k $43k (exactly $43,189) ARTDINK

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.